Dems in Disarray

Could Democrats’ New Message Align Them with Trump?

Nancy Pelosi speaks while flanked by House members during a news conference on Capitol Hill.

By Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Facing criticism that they have failed to present a more compelling counter-narrative to the pseudo-populism of Donald Trump, Democrats are rolling out a new, economy-focused campaign Monday, designed to neutralize accusations that the party’s message has gotten lost amidst its anti-Trump hysteria. At its center is a new slogan, “A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future,” which is intended to help win over voters in the 2018 midterms. The Washington Post reports that the new agenda “is expected to focus on new proposals to fund job-training programs, renegotiate trade deals, and address soaring prescription-drug costs, as well as other issues.”

With their messaging reboot, establishment Democrats are hoping to recenter a party that, with the exception of health care, finds its attention distracted by a variety of divergent issues—Russia, gerrymandering, voter rights, Planned Parenthood, climate change—rather than the populist economic message that elevated Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign. The agenda will specifically focus on “cracking down on corporate monopolies” and other potential anti-trust violations that some Democrats blame for contributing to growing wealth inequality, as well as creating “a 21st-century ‘Trust Buster’ to stop abusive corporate conduct and the exploitation of market power,” The Atlanticreports.

It remains to be seen what impact, if any, Democrats’ newfound interest in anti-trust will have on tech’s Big Five—Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Alphabet, which have a combined market capitalization of nearly $3 trillion. Already, New Jersey Senator and potential 2020 hopeful Cory Booker has joined other Democrats in expressing concerns over the impending $13.7 billion sale of Whole Foods to Amazon. “This consolidation that’s happening all over the country is not a positive trend,” Booker told Recode last week, adding that he plans to join other members of the Congressional Black Caucus in calling for further scrutiny of the deal. That could make trust-busting a potential area of agreement between Democrats and Donald Trump, who has repeatedly singled out Amazon for its sometimes overwhelming market power. (“Amazon is focused on providing low prices, vast selection, and convenience, including improved access to food and groceries,” Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president of public policy, wrote in a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus. “We deliver low-cost, healthy food to zip codes across the country that before Amazon had limited access to a large selection of high-quality foods. We have every intention when the acquisition is complete to assist Whole Foods in bringing natural and healthy foods to more people.”)

It wouldn’t be surprising if tech ended up getting a free pass from Democrats, who would presumably rather take aim at less popular industries like pharmaceuticals and telecoms. Whatever their larger societal impacts, Silicon Valley’s biggest companies are also generally well liked; it’s hard to imagine Democrats taking back the House by targeting Facebook or Apple. Still, the new messaging suggests that there may be the potential for increased political risk associated with the Big Five. Last month, a group of Democratic senators spearheaded byAl Franken urged the Trump administration to block the $85 billion proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner. Democrats may also take a page from the European Union, which slapped Google with a record-breaking $2.7 billion fine over anti-trust concerns in June.